ABSTRACT This paper covers how, as conservation professionals, we promote and contribute to the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collections through the understanding of historic materials and techniques that go into the making of complex objects. The conservation of a Korean embroidery panel originally found on an hwarot or bridal gown demonstrates this approach. The collaboration of both conservation disciplines and Korean practitioners enabled the work to be meaningful and informative. The decision to remount the hwarot panel as a robe structure, as it had been previously disassembled for the foreign export market, was agreed upon, as was the retention of the lilac repairs. The use of natural dyes to create a rainbow of coloured silks found in the embroidery brings its own problems, especially as purple gromwell is a dye less known in Western culture. The replica robe considers the historical context of the panel and can be re-utilized for subsequent mounting.